Dupuis to Miss Six Months with Blood Clot in Lung

The Penguins called a 1pm press conference today and as such people became worried. With Pascal Dupuis suffering from a mysterious illness everyone wondered if he would be the focal point. Unfortunately he was. The Penguins announced that Dupuis will miss the next six months with a blood clot in his lung.

According to the team, Pascal complained of chest discomfort on Monday. From there he went in for tests and the clot was discovered. A press release from the team reveals more information of the clot:

“Pascal had a blood clot in his leg that traveled to his lung,” said Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, the Penguins’ team physician. “In medical terms, that is a deep vein thrombosis resulting in a pulmonary embolism. This is the second such incident that we know of for Pascal. The treatment is at least six months of blood thinners, during which time he will not be able to play hockey. Other than that, his condition is stable.”

Dupuis, 35, previously was diagnosed with a blood clot in January 2014, shortly after he suffered torn ligaments in his knee. He was on blood thinners for six months while also recovering from surgery and rehabilitating his knee.

During his 1pm press conference, team doctor Dharmesh Vyas expounded on the clot. He stated that the clot started in his leg and moved to his lung. He continued to say that this was his second episode with blood clots, having had a similar one in his leg in January during his recovery from a successful ACL and MCL reconstruction.

Dupuis, for his part, isn't sure if he'll return ever to the ice saying "It's kind of hard for me to answer that question right now." However he says he will "put in the effort."

Dupuis is a fan favorite amongst the Penguins loyal. A seeming throw-in from the Marian Hossa trade, he's blossomed into a top six forward and solid scoring threat. Playing largely alongside Sidney Crosby his career has taken off late in its years. He's posted 11 points in 16 games this season.

Dupuis' injury is yet another blow to the Penguins, who have dealt with an increasing number of odd injuries through the years. To start last season former back up goalie Tomas Vokoun suffered a blood clot in his leg that all but ended his NHL career. Also last season star defender Kris Letang suffered from a stroke and earlier this season budding star Olli Maatta was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on his thyroid gland.

Associate General Manager Jason Botterill says Dupuis will be placed on Long Term Injured Reserve, giving the Penguins north of $4 million in room on the salary cap. Botterill also states that Dupuis will still be a welcomed presence around the team. His focus, however, will be on recovery.